TwentyThree
by Venus725
Summary: As he finished playing the last notes, she stood and faced him, a glare so powerful on her face he felt ready to melt. However, he did the inevitable and to Blaise’s eccentric chords, he bent down and kissed her. Hard. (Post-Hogwarts, One-shot, Songfic


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Title: Twenty-Three

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Author: Venus725

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Summary: As he finished playing the last notes, she stood and faced him, a glare so powerful on her face he felt ready to melt. However, he did the inevitable and to Blaise's eccentric chords, he bent down and kissed her. Hard. Post-Hogwarts, One-shot, Songfic.

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Genre: Humor/Romance

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Rating: PG-13 (for use of violence, sexual references, reference to drugs and alcohol, and for language)

A/N: Hey guys. Read this if even you DON'T like Yellowcard, because you know what? The writing is awesome. Haha, lol, I wish. Anyway, this is a response to the Valentine's Day Challenge for Contra Veritas. Great site, by the way, you're not a true DM/HG shipper if you haven't been there. BTW, to those who didn't already know, this is a DM/HG fic. Yeah, so, if you don't like it, read it and then tell me how bad it is. Really. Anyway, read and enjoy. And to you fanfic readers, REVIEW. Yeah.

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Twenty-Three

Draco Malfoy gasped in horror and anger at the headline in the paper.

"Sorry, mate," said Blaise Zabini in the corner of Draco's office as he ran a hand through his ebony locks, which had been hiding his azure eyes.

"SORRY? IS THAT _ALL_ YOU HAVE TO SAY?"

"What else do you _want_ me to say?"

For the first time in his life, Draco Malfoy was at a loss for words. His best friend, though surprised, nodded to himself nonchalantly as he strummed the strings on his violin.

"That's what I thought."

…

……

…

Draco Malfoy sighed in satisfaction as he sat backstage, waiting for the show to begin. He knew she would come, it was always like her to be unable to resist such a curious opportunity.

Besides, it made things much easier. At least now he didn't have to resort to kidnap.

Though that sounded appealing enough.

He sighed again, closing his eyes. He knew he would savor the look on her face when it happened. His revenge. She had, after all, taken the only thing he had ever had (besides money, looks, and popularity, anyway). She had taken his love, and broken his heart. He knew he sounded self-pitying when he thought like that, but he didn't really care. They were his thoughts, and they were the truth. Through the times he had faced, he knew one thing…

Truth was all that ever mattered.

Draco stood as he heard Blaise yelling to one of the band members. He knew it was time. _Thanks Blaise_, he thought…_couldn't have done this without you, mate_.

…

……

…

Hermione Granger didn't exactly know why she was doing what she was doing. Curiosity, perhaps? The note had arrived on her desk that morning and after reading what it had said, well, there was no turning back.

Besides, she liked Zabini's band; no matter how unlike they were to her usual musical preferences.

And, the note had been a riddle, a mystery. You didn't just shove a riddle under Hermione Granger's nose and not expect her to solve it as fast as humanly possible. It was inconceivable.

So, there she sat, waiting for the show to begin. She had never been to this club before, then again, she preferred Muggle clubs as to Wizarding ones. They were, after all, much easier to stand. When there were no magical brawls, one was not as likely to accidentally get stuck with two heads for a night.

Her thoughts drifted back the note…

As for it, she had racked her brains to find a solution to the mystery. All it had said was…_Go to the Zaire's Pub. The Zabini Revolution will be playing tonight_…with a ticket to the show attached. And it had been anonymous. All she could think of to do was to go and see what happened.

And so, she did.

Her thoughts left her as a short but slightly pleasant-looking man walked onto the stage. He seemed in his late forties, was African-American, (she could easily tell as soon as he spoke), and had a deep, comforting voice. He almost reminded her of her fellow Auror, Kingsley Shacklebolt.

"Ladies and gentleman, welcome tonight!" he shouted (into a Muggle microphone, oddly enough) over the loud and raucous crowd. They applauded.

"Tonight we have the very popular, multi-platinum band, The Zabini Revolution playing!" More applause and hoots from the crowd sounded, Hermione clapping politely along with them.

"This small showing was provided by Dragon Corp. and all proceeds go to Zaire Entertainment. The opening song was written by one of the honorary band members, who wishes to remain nameless, however, he dedicates it to Miss Hermione Granger."

Hermione gasped (So THAT'S why she was here!) as everyone began to whisper and glance and point at her.

"I'm Zaire, thanks for listening and have a great time tonight!" he ended before leaving the stage in flourish as the crowd went wild, forgetting about her completely…the lights slowly dimmed and Hermione herself, after letting go of the shock she had just felt, felt a bit of excitement creep into her.

She would get her answer.

As the lights went dim, Blaise Zabini, a tall, handsome fellow with jet-black hair and crystal blue eyes, came from behind the burgundy curtain with a very expensive (and ancient-looking) violin in his hands. Hermione's brow furrowed…from all of Parvati's ramblings (the wench was in her department at the Ministry, a secretary) she had been sure that Zabini had played the guitar. He stepped toward the microphone and raised his violin into playing position. Then, he began to play.

But he wasn't alone.

Hermione knew that behind the curtain were the guitarist, the drummer, the bassist and most likely the person that played the keyboards. Why, she didn't know. However, an almost hard yet slightly more melodic tune was being played. The beat was a steady and hard beating of the symbol and the best thing about it was how the violin and guitar matched chords so perfectly.

Zabini (and the others too, she supposed) played the intro like a master before he let down his violin (the tune had been reduced to the bass) and sang into the microphone with a pleasant tenor voice:

I've gotta tell you that he waited all his life

For someone like you

To come make the wrong things right…

__

I know he didn't have the answers all the time

But you can't tell me that you've never told a lie…

Hermione watched him with interest, enjoying the performance thus far. What was funny was that he seemed to be staring straight _at_ her…

The song picked up with him (and someone else, she noticed, backstage) singing along…

__

Aaaaaaaaah…

Aaaaaaaaah…

The curtain suddenly opened, revealing the rest of the band, and the person accompanying Zabini stepped into the spotlight, shared with Blaise. He played the guitar viciously as he began to sing the chorus.

The man was noneother than Draco Malfoy.

__

We're almost twenty-three and you're still mad at me,

So much that I said to you and I wanna take it back,

Now

Twenty-three and its so sad to me 

__

You tell the world I'm dead to you but I know you want me back…

Now.

Hermione's eyes were wide, and to her great displeasure, this pleased Draco Malfoy a great deal. He was staring at her like a hawk, singing every word _to her_, and she knew it.

Her heart was beating so hard, she didn't think she'd made it through the next verse, which was rapidly beginning, Blaise singing it, still at her.

__

Was it fun for you to watch him fall apart?

She saw Draco's mouth move and knew he was singing the back up words…'_Watch me fall…_'

__

And suffocate him while you held him in your arms?

Again, his mouth moved and he sang, '_In **your**_ _arms…'_

Zabini continued to sing passionately into the mike, glaring at her accusingly just as Draco was doing. She felt ready to cry at the daggers they both sent with their eyes.

__

I swear to god I wish he'd never let you in

And Draco again, his eyes blazing with enmity she hadn't seen since the day…the day…he sang: '_Let you in…'_

__

And I just hope we never hear from you again…

They then sang together again, both of their glares piercing her heart…

__

Aaaaaaaaah…

Aaaaaaaaah…

And Draco again, alone with the refrain, putting his heart furiously into the song, she could tell he was channeling his anger and his hate for her and what she had done into his passion for the song…

__

We're almost twenty-three and you're still mad at me,

So much that I said to you and I wanna take it back

Now

Twenty-three and its so sad to me

You tell the world I'm dead to you and I know you want me back…

Now.

To her horror, Draco stopped playing as the music softened. However, Draco's icy stare did not as he stepped down from the stage and walked slowly toward her as he sang into the microphone he had carried with him. She just now noticed the microphone stand directly in front of her small table…

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Wasted on you…

Zabini was repeating his words, still onstage, never changing his loathing expression as Draco took on step forward.

__

Wasted on you…

(_So much time I've-_) Draco took another step closer. He was only three feet away from her by now. A few more steps and he would be right in front of her.

His gaze never faltered.

__

Wasted on you…

(_Wasted on you…)_ Another step…he was a foot away. Hermione's breath caught in her throat as chocolate brown eyes met familiar grey ones.

__

Wasted on you…

He took another step and placed his microphone in its stand, then again, raised his pick, as he, while still staring at her, played harder than ever before.

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ON YOU!

ON YOU!!!!!!!!

__

TWENTY-THREE AND YOU'RE STILL MAD AT ME,

SO MUCH THAT I SAID YOU TO YOU AND I WANNA TAKE IT BACK,

NOW!

TWENTY-THREE AND ITS SO SAD TO ME,

YOU TELL THE WORLD I'M DEAD TO YOU AND I KNOW YOU WANT ME BACK…

__

Now…

As the lyrics ended, he smirked, the same smirk she knew from so many years at Hogwarts and so many sleepless nights in which she had imagined his face. She rose, her anger rising along with her, and prepared herself to smack him across the face when-

…

……

…

As he finished playing the last notes, she stood and faced him, a glare so powerful on her face he felt ready to melt. However, he did the inevitable and to Blaise's eccentric chords, he bent down and kissed her. Hard.

…

……

…

Hermione Granger woke up groggily in her London flat at approximately two in the afternoon. As she saw this on her Muggle clock, she groaned.

Well, at least it was a Saturday.

She managed to remove herself from bed and slowly shuffled toward the kitchen for some type of alcoholic drink and possibly lunch. That was always the key to get rid of a hangover.

Last night had been horrible, and oddly enough, she remembered nearly every detail (something uncommon amongst those with dreadful hangovers). Draco had kissed her and she had…liked it.

She knew it, she missed him. She always _missed_ him.

But, she was totally pissed off at the bastard too.

How _dare_ he humiliate her in front of all those people? She didn't even want to _glance_ at the Daily Prophet, she was Harry Potter's best friend and a respectable Auror, and she got enough press as it was!

And now this.

She sat down on her couch in front of the TV (even if she _was_ a witch, she had to have one, she grew up with it) with her bottle of beer and her bowl of Ramen noodles. She flicked it on with the remote and started watching the Food Network.

However, her thoughts betrayed her and went back to Draco.

She had loved him, but…she sighed. She remembered how it had happened, all of it, and she knew she would never regret it. The only thing she regretted was ending it.

In their 6th year at Hogwarts, Draco Malfoy and herself began to notice each other. They both had grown, and they both had changed. In their 7th year, they were, of course, made Head Boy and Head Girl.

This decision, at first, made the two students resent Albus Dumbledore for a while.

Well, a little more than 'resent'.

But then, well, they noticed each other and how they had changed the previous year more and more. Not once through the entire year did Draco call Hermione a 'Mudblood', and in return, she did not call him 'Ferret'.

They grew quickly from enemies to those with a truce, to acquaintances, and finally, to friends.

This was when Draco revealed to her that while his father had been placed in Azkaban, his mother had done some…re-teaching. Purity of not only blood mattered, but so did purity of mind and heart. Narcissa admitted to accepting her sister and her Muggle husband over time. This encouraged Draco to give Hermione a chance, and he revealed to her that he had joined the Order of the Phoenix at the beginning of that year.

But the most eventful of that year was on Valentine's Day. Both Hermione and Draco thought the day to be a stupid, commercial holiday. Both knew they also didn't want to be alone.

Hermione had been jealous of Harry and Ginny and Ron and Luna, and Draco himself had been jealous of Zabini and Sally-Anne. Sure, Pansy would have been happy to be his 'someone' but _that_ was just downright disgusting.

So, the pair sat together yet alone in their Head Common Room, silently reading…Hermione remembered it like yesterday…

FLASHBACK

__

"What're you reading?" asked Draco.

"A book."

"No, really, come on, Granger, what're you reading?" Hermione sighed and her face flushed a little.

"I know, it's dumb, but…I'm reading a romance novel. It's called The Princess Bride_, but S. Morgenstern."_

"That's not a Muggle novel, you know."

"Oh really?"

"Really, my mum used to read that to me when I was little. I remember I had the biggest crush on Buttercup for the longest time. I used to always want a girl like her."

"Oh really, what's changed?" Draco stood slowly, staring at her square in the eye with a calculating look. He swiftly walked towards her and before she knew it, was kissing her softly on the lips.

Hermione had never felt better.

"She's not you, Hermione," he whispered as they (though they didn't want to) slowly pulled apart.

END FLASHBACK

Hermione sighed…it was the best kiss he had ever given her, and the first one. They had fallen in love and passed every obstacle. She had had her doubts, but they had made it. Her friends had accepted her and Draco, and the war was looking to be a success for the light.

Then it all went downhill.

It was sometime before Voldemort played his last move on the huge chessboard that seemed to be the wizarding world. He was losing, but in the end, one side had to take the plunge for success.

Hermione closed her eyes as the memories seeped back to her…she performed a Hangover Removal charm so she could think a little more clearly.

She had discovered the Dark Mark on Draco's arm and he had never told her he was…a Death Eater.

And that was the end of it.

How she wished she had believed him now. He was her best friend, more than Ron or Harry could ever be, and she missed his touches and his soft caresses and his silver-grey eyes.

She missed everything about him, and she had hurt him, and that hurt her.

And now, seven years later, he had hurt her the way she had hurt him. By possibly destroying her career as he bettered his.

He hadn't been a Death Eater. He had been a Snape replica, fooling Tom Riddle into believing he was spying on Dumbledore. Hermione wished she hadn't been so stubborn to see that.

And now he was at the top of his game. Bachelor of the Year, Head of Malfoy Inc. and (_now_ she knew) Dragon Corp., a sub-company of Malfoy Inc. that dealt with Muggle relations. She hadn't even known he played the guitar, she knew he had played the piano, but not the guitar. He seemed happy…and she was…alone.

She found this all out last night as she got drunk with Ginny (well, Ginny didn't drink anything, it had been just she who cried and drank and cried and drank and drank some more). It must have been her and Harry that took her home.

They were married now. She sighed and looked at her left hand and the small but bright engagement ring on it. Something clicked in her head. That's what had motivated him…the announcement of her engagement to Ron in the paper.

She didn't want to marry Ron. They were simply marrying because they were both alone. Luna had died in the final battle, and Ron was the only person left for her and she was the only person left for him. She knew he didn't care for her romantically and he knew she didn't care for him in that way either. Both of their hearts had been broken.

It had been apparent by last night that he never wanted anything to do with her.

Hermione cursed herself as she began to cry again, knowing that that day was noneother than Valentine's Day.

Ever since they had ended, she went to a little pub by her flat every Valentine's Day and reread _The Princess Bride_. However, tonight she didn't know if she could do it.

The tears slowly began to fall, and this time, Hermione couldn't stop them.

…

……

…

"What did you want to happen then?"

"I dunno. I wanted her to forgive me or something. Realize the pain she put me through and apologize. I don't want to drive her away, I want her to come back to me!"  
"Well, if you had wanted that then, mate, you shouldn't have done _that_," said Blaise Zabini. He and Draco Malfoy were again discussing the infamous Hermione Granger, and Draco Malfoy was ready to have a meltdown.

"What'd you expect, Draco? She'd come running back into your arms after seven years apart and being engaged to someone else? Not only that, but you humiliated her in front of a _lot_ of people-"

"You aren't helping," Draco said icily.

"Well, I'm pointing out the obvious."

"Shut up."

"There's nothing you can do, Draco. If she wants you back, she's gotta know. You didn't exactly make it look like you wanted _her_ back."

"You're right, Blaise," Draco said as an idea popped into his head, "Do me a favor and find out Harry Potter's address for me, will you?"

"WHAT?"

"Just do it."

…

……

…

Hermione Granger sighed. She knew that this was pathetic, her sitting by the fire and reading this book for the millionth time. Somehow, whenever she read it, she felt better. But not this time.

Her cup of hot cocoa was growing cold and the snow outside whirled around in a soft wind. She sighed again as she looked the window. Hufferton St. and Pinkey Ave. were both deserted, as was the shop. They were about to close anyway, there was no point in staying.

"That's not a muggle book you know."

Hermione spun around so fast she felt dizzy when she stopped. Standing before her was Draco Malfoy, dressed in black, and smiling awkwardly at her. Tears threatened to fall.

"Draco?" she asked, "What're you doing here? How'd you find me, I-" He interrupted her.

"Let's just say I had to beat it out of Potter. Well, no, I had to grovel for the information, but still." She stared at him with doe-like brown eyes. He stepped closer to her, biting his lip nervously, his hands in his pockets.

"Anyway, as I was saying, it's not a muggle novel. My mum used to read it to me when I was little. I remember I had the biggest crush on Buttercup for the longest time. I used to always want a girl like her," he said, stepping closer. He was as close as he was last night when he sang to her, though this time; there was no malice in his grey eyes.

"Oh really…what's changed?" she asked. Her eyes shone with hope so bright, it made the stars outside look dull.

"She's not you," he whispered in her ear before he softly kissed her on the lips.

Hermione never thought she'd have a better kiss than her first kiss on Valentine's Day.

Then again, everyone was wrong once and a while.


End file.
